We are so proud of these women cricketers

The Indian women’s cricket team had the entire country proudly celebrating their phenomenal win over Pakistan by 95 runs in their group game of the ICC Women’s World Cup on July 2, 2017. Once again, the ladies proved that despite all odds, they can come out shining. Here’s a look at some great performances in women’s cricket:

Ekta Bisht: Earning herself the credentials of India’s Spin Queen, man-of-the-match, Ekta Bisht put on a stellar performance as she took five wickets for 18 runs as India bowled out Pakistan for just 64 runs. Bisht has certainly come a long way in her cricketing career—from being the first woman cricketer from Uttarakhand to represent India, to becoming the leader of India’s spin attack in just six years. The 31-year-old is now third in the list of India’s most successful spinners in ODIs after Neetu David (141 wickets) and Nooshin Al Khadeer (100 wickets). She is also the highest wicket-taker in 2017 in women’s ODIs.

Mithali Raj: Referred to as the Sachin Tendulkar of women’s cricket, Mithali Raj is one of the five women with an average above 50. Although she failed to reach double digits against Pakistan at Derby in India’s third match of the Women’s World Cup, Mithali proudly holds the record for the highest number of consecutive fifties (seven), along with the highest number of half centuries (47) by any international woman cricketer. Her average is now 52.27, the best among women cricketers who have played more than a hundred ODIs. She is now also the second woman cricketer to score more than 5,000 runs in ODIs.

Dane Van Niekerk: South African captain Dane Van Niekerk set a bowling record as she took four wickets and conceded no runs in her spell of 3.2 overs in the match against West Indies on July 2, 2017. It is the first time ever that a bowler has ended with figures of 4/0. Though her spell may not have been a turning point in the match, Dane surely carried out an unheard of feat and rightly deserves to be a part of this list.

Smriti Mandhana: Currently stealing hearts and termed as the national crush is Smriti Mandhana who has been phenomenal in the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2017. In the first two matches against England and West Indies, she scored 90 and an unbeaten 100 respectively. The left-handed batter has been compared with cricketer Shikhar Dhawan due to similarities in their batting styles. And the best part is she’s just 20, so we have a feeling Smriti has a lot more surprises for us in the coming future.

Jhulan Goswami: Highest wicket taker in Women's One Day International cricket, Jhulan Goswami has remained consistent with her bowling attack. Considered to be an integral part of the team, Jhulan is well known for her batting capabilities as well. She has a Test bowling average of less than 20 and guided the Indian team to first test series win in England in the 2006-07 season.